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Workload and progression

Plan 535–770 focused hours, including repairs. These are author estimates, not learner timing measurements. Legacy sequence 84–89 gives ordering, not a six-week completion promise. At 20 hours/week allow roughly 27–39 weeks; at 30 hours/week, 18–26. Peer scheduling and delayed retakes can extend elapsed time.

Allocation​

  • Module 1: 85–120 hours, original practice 65–90 plus integrated extension 20–30.
  • Module 2: 90–130 hours, original practice 68–98 plus integrated extension 22–32.
  • Module 3: 100–145 hours, original practice 78–113 plus integrated extension 22–32.
  • Module 4: 85–125 hours, original practice 65–95 plus integrated extension 20–30.
  • Module 5: 95–135 hours, original practice 73–103 plus integrated extension 22–32.
  • Required cross-cutting strand: 45–65 hours.
  • Semester integration/assessment/repair: 35–50 hours.

Modules total 455–655 hours. Integration comprises project assembly 15–20, checkpoint/cumulative retrieval 5–8, exam 3, evidence defense 2, repair 10–17 hours. Ordinary reading, implementation, original labs and quizzes are already inside module totals. Reuse the same system, raw evidence and review records; charge strand hours only for additional investigation and integration hours only for assembly/defense/repair. Do not implement the whole project twice.

Required progression​

All 30 module categories (CF/IA/KO/RL/SO, six per module) and every P1–P5 strand category require at least 2 on the shared scale: 0 absent/incorrect, 1 prompted/incomplete, 2 independently evidenced with limits, 3 fresh transfer. Preserve original checkpoint minimum 80%, exam 70% overall and 60% in every major section, project deliverables and integrity requirements. Any stricter original criterion also applies. Conditional pass means repair remains; it does not allow progression or graduation.

Retain delayed transfer at least 48 hours later, real reviewer/operator participation where required, positive and negative control tests, and raw experiment evidence. A finite Python model, tabletop or checklist cannot replace an actual deployment, signature verification, cluster experiment or restore required by a gate. Record unavailable prerequisites honestly and finish independent work while they are pending.

Evidence integration​

Index each category to source revision, tool/runtime version, environment, exact procedure, raw observations, independent check, limitation and repair. Distinguish implemented, measured, simulated, proposed and pending. Keep secret state/plan files and private feedback out of public artifacts. Use synthetic records and disposable local targets for experiments; the curriculum does not authorize destructive work on shared or production systems.

Preserve the original identity/network/cost/teardown path, real plan pipeline and drift/import/module upgrade, actual local Kubernetes diagnosis/rollout/security exercises, trusted artifact/canary/DORA work, and secret/telemetry/incident experiments. Complete fundamentals before IaC, then orchestration, delivery and security/observability. Use earlier service work to avoid framework churn. Carry an identified unresolved operational risk and a reproducible runtime into the capstone.

Assistance and verification evidence​

Complete the linked review exercise as required subchecks of P1, using 2–3 hours of the existing 10–14-hour supply-chain allocation. Reuse the existing packet; no extra semester hours or gate IDs are added. All original real-system and independent-review requirements remain.

Independent practice route and evidence reuse​

The following entry checks and changed-case practice make the existing module work inspectable. Use them within the current original-practice, lab and retention allowances; no full-book reading or new parallel project is added. An existing artifact can satisfy both an original exercise and this route when it demonstrates the same claim. Keep one evidence index linking each required gate to the exact artifact, actual run, assistance and reviewer status. Do not waive a topic simply because a different lab passes.

Keep authored material, author execution, learner attempts, independent review and delayed transfer as distinct statuses. Retain existing construction, security, HCI, AI-use, world-class and capstone strands and all per-gate minima. Real-system and human requirements remain pending until observed; planned observations are not completed evidence. Record actual study time before revising estimates.